A Study Of The System, Order And Elucidation Of Shilun

The bamboo slips of Shilun in the Shanghai Museum, one of the most important lost documents, has attracted academic circle' s great concern and research interest due to its close ties with the Book of Poetry, the important ancient records of Confucianism. Especially after the official publication of Shilu in November of 2001, various kinds of research results have emerged rapidly, involving not only such fundamental problems as the compilation, chapter-assigning, titles, system, composition of the remaining bamboo slips, patching characters and elucidation of the bamboo slips, but also profound ones, such as the text prototype, style, types. Some scholars have probed into the important aspects of ancient Chinese academic thoughts, which leads to further research of shilun from different perspectives. However, it should be noticed that great divergences still exist among the academic circle on it, especially in basic research, which is manifested specifically in the title, author, system, compilation, restoration, chapter-assigning, patchwork of the remaining characters and elucidation of the bamboo slips, and some differences are irreconcilable because of principles. The writer aims at the bamboo slips of Shilun collected in the Shanghai Museum, mainly discussing and distinguishing such basic researches as the present situation, system, types of theincomplete bamboo slips, compilation, restoration, elucidation of the bamboo slips in a profound and systematical way. It is mainly made up of the following three parts.Firstly, When studying the bamboo slips, making the remaining Shilun included in them to investigate wholly, making every effort to depend on the relatively extensive documents, utilizing the scale of the incomplete bamboo slips, the writer, in light of the three chapters of Zhigao in one volume and the numerous incomplete bamboo slips, grasps and realizes the classification and regularity of them. On the basis of further investigation, the deficient bamboo slips are divided into nine kinds tentatively, and the mouth position is judged according to different incomplete broken types relatively objectively, then the concrete position of each one. Based on this research and the academic achievements, the current situation of bamboo slips is analysed and judged, and the suggestion of mending is partly put forward for Mr. Mao-zuo' s The Current Situation of the Bamboo Slips of Confucius' s Shilun. Meanwhile, the writer applies the classification of the incomplete bamboo slips to the compilation, patching characters to judge and assert extensively, thus attempting to put No. 26 and No. 23, No. 17 and No. 25 together. As to the principle divergences between Empty Bamboo Slips and Full Bamboo Slip, this thesis has carefully analysed them according to the existing condition on the basis of different academic views and then made the judgment that there is no difference in essence between them though the six bamboo slips are empty and it is an undeniable and objective reality and phenomenon. Those who try to exaggerate it have formed subjective judgment and lacked sufficient evidence. In addition, in order to accurately understand the concrete connotations of the period and the comma in it, the writer has also carried on systematic investigation of the three chapters of Zhigao andthought it is right for the copyist to use it and its implication is relatively confirmed, and has proved the positive role of fully respecting the use of it in the unearthed documents for implementing punctuation and elucidation of the bamboo slips.Secondly, the writer has inherited and absorbed critically the research results of the academia in the preface, confirmed the arrangements of the 29 bamboo slips, discriminated and criticized the editing schemes of some scholars who have separated the Empty Bamboo Slips from Shilun, put it at the beginning or the end, or dispersed in the Full Bamboo Slips. Mr. Li Xue^qing' s compiling method, based on connotations, is praised. It is proved that the compilation and restoration must be done only by connotations, principles of commenting the thoughts of the Book of Poetry. Consideration is given to sentence patterns, styles, chapters' organization, and types of the remaining ones at the same time. Only so, could train of thoughts of Shilun be known constantly, and consensus is gradually reached on the compilation and restoration. While compiling the preface, the writer has fully absorbed various compiling schemes and composing plans of incomplete bamboo slips from the academic circle, analysed and judged each one, thus trying to make some partial adjustments. The successive sequence of the 29 bamboo slips is as follows: No.10, No.14 and No. 12, No.13 and No. 15, No. 11, No. 16, No. 24, No. 20, No. 27, No. 17 and No. 25, No. 28 and No. 29, No. 26 and No. 23, No. 19 and No. 18, No. 8, No. 9, No. 21, No. 22, No. 6, No. 7, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 1. And on the foundation of new arrangement of preface and its contents, Shilun is divided into 8 chapters.Thirdly, in terms of elucidation, an overall and systematic research is made about it according to the academia' s existing elucidation achievements either by differentiating viewpoints, selecting the goodones to follow, offering corresponding argumentation basis, re-explaining some characters, or putting forward one' s own new views. The elucidation of Shilun is focused on the understanding of contents, interpretation of Shilun by way of the Book of Poetry, or vice versa, thus relevant comments of thoughts of the Book of Poetry from the angle of Shilun. In the course of concrete research, on one hand, attention is paid to absorb and draw lessons from forefathers who have summarized the effective way of elucidation. On this basis, elucidation of Shilun is studied in a whole comparative research with the three chapters of Zhigao so as to differentiate and analyse the similarities and differences, investigate the copyist' s writing habit and the use of characters, thus pay abundant consideration and enough attention. On the other hand, the writer pays attention to absorb the academia's elucidation achievements, makes every effort to let it included in the Warring States' characters, the Warring States Chu' s characters, especially bamboo slips collected in the Shanghai Museum to carry on horizontal comparative research, utilizes such reference books as the Warring States Ancient Prose Dictionary, the Collection of Warring States Characters, and the Collection of Chu' s Characters, to investigate, synthesize and analyse its meanings with the help of ancient records. Meanwhile, the writer sorts out various kinds of academic views in the preliminary stage, ascertains the correct understanding and judgment, picks out those which are worth discussing or wrong views on the basis of his own research, which is beneficial to deepen the elucidation.The above is the main content of the dissertation. Although we have done further research and relevant discussions in the basic research of Shilun, some problems cannot be totally solved in short-term in the basic research because of the limitations of all sorts of conditions.It will be a long-term but arduous work for scholars to deal with such relevant basic problems as compilation, elucidation or mediation of the bamboo slips, but we believe, under the joint efforts of the academic circle, relevant problems will get relatively rational settlement progressively in the basic research of Shilun.